Maarten van den Outenaar, a two-time keynote speaker at Data Expo (in 2023 and
2024), compares the rise of AI to that of the internet and the cloud. Around the time of the internet, a classic hype emerged that eventually burst: the dot-com bubble. It wasn’t until
investments plummeted that costs and benefits came into balance. The hype surrounding the
cloud paid off more quickly, because the savings soon exceeded the level of the investments. The former CDO of Royal Schiphol Group cannot say how AI will develop: “AI is too expensive at the moment. Revenues are increasing, but investments are rising even faster.”
Alliander, VolkerWessels, NS, and Schiphol
How can individual organizationsincreasetheir chances of success with AI within this context? Van den Outenaar has strong opinions on the matter. He gained these insights while holding data roles at Alliander, VolkerWessels, NS, and Schiphol, respectively, and he elaborates on them in his book. In it, he also shares plenty of his own practical experiences within those organizations, including when things didn’t go smoothly. Each chapter concludes with an interview with a former colleague, sparring partner, or source of inspiration. Take Robert Carsouw, Schiphol’s CFO,for example, who asked Van den Outenaar with every proposal: “How many more passengers will this bring in?” It hasbecomea mantra for the data professional.
Between FOMO and ROI
Van den Outenaar provides a great deal of theoretical background in his book. He also draws historical parallels. “As a philosophy and history student,I devoted my master’s thesis to the impact of industrial revolutions on businesses,” he explains. “In each of those revolutions, there was new disruptive technology.” As an example, he cites the introduction of the Spinning Jenny in the 18th century, whichmade it possible to spinyarn much faster. Companies didn’t want to miss the boat or fall behind the competition. On the other hand, they didn’t want to invest heavily too early, without
a clear plan for recouping their investment. According to the author, this was also the case with the other industrial revolutions.
Van den Outenaar seesthis tension between FOMO (fear of missing out) and ROI (return on investment) in 2026 with AI, a hype that could grow into a revolution: “Organizations don’t want to invest too much, but they also don’t wantto betoo late. With my book, I help them navigate this landscape.”
’sPlanning Problem The question “What problem are we solving?” is therefore at the top of the AI-strategy checklist that Van den Outenaar presents in his book. It’s the “How many more passengers will be flying?” question. Schiphol wanted to increase its annual passenger count from 70 million to 90 million, with the same number of flights but larger aircraft that require special gates. “So we had a scheduling problem,” Van den Outenaar recalls, “everyone understands that. We didn’t say we were going to improve the schedule with a laundry list of concrete options, but instead looked at the problem together with our planners: you’ll keep your job, but we’re stuck with this
problem. How can we help you with data?” It’s a completely different approach. “That way, you don’t have to go through the entire AI adoption curve with an army of adoption consultants.”
People-centered data and AI transformation
Van den Outenaar focuses much more on the organization than on technology. “Which employee is crucial, and how do we help them?” is item 2 on his checklist. Item 4 (of 7): “What adoption rate can the organization handle?” The author’s main goal is to contribute to a more people-centered data and AI transformation, because, in his view, people have been neglected for far too long. “The employee is the crucial link in solving the productivity paradox,” he states. “Cool technology is fun, but of course, people have to actually use it. Only when employees truly start performing better as a result can AI bring improvements to throughput at security gates, train scheduling, or cleaning schedules for restrooms.”
Engagement on the front lines is key, Van den Outenaar continues. “The group of employees from whom you can derive the most value is generally not intrinsically motivated.” Organizations really need to address this, according to the data and AI-advisor, who observed at Schiphol how water bottles, laptop stickers, and a DataFest contributed to adoption. “It’s essential that organizations make the shift from process optimization to employee performance.”
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
With his book, Van den Outenaar aims to reach a broad audience: “Anyone who works with data. What I’ve heard most often in recent years when a data project wasn’t going well was: ‘The other person doesn’t understand me.’” You see this on both sides of organizations: businesspeople and the data department point fingers at each other. That’s why it’s so important that you know you’re all working toward the same goal.” The book’s title, *: No Words, Just Data*—a phrase he learned from the former CIO of the City of Amsterdam (
)—was chosen deliberately: “There’s a whole history behind it; at Schiphol, we used this phrase a lot. It takes some of the pressure off the subject; it’s lighthearted and down-to-earth. Nice and no-nonsense, down to earth.”
Selling ice in winter
Many people on the shop floor aren’t working with AI all day long, the Rotterdam-based knows. It’s good for data people to realize that. “In management, you shouldn’t approach AI as a project, but as a product.”, that means: identifying gaps in the market, determining who stands to benefit, and figuring out how to promote AI internally: “Don’t stay stuck in your ivory tower selling ice cream in the winter, as I sometimes say.” It really doesn’t work to get angry at the environment just because people are cold and don’t feel like having ice cream. The
key question is: who benefits from this, and can employees actually use it? In that sense, AI fits very well with HR—it’s a transition. I’m seeing that connection emerge in more and more organizations that want AI to deliver more value than it costs.”
*No Words, Just Data* (176 pages), written by Maarten van den Outenaar, was published on August 26 by Van Duuren Media.
Maarten van den Outenaar, former Chief Data Officer at Schiphol, was a keynote speaker at Data Expo in 2023 and 2024. He also wrote the book: No Words, Just Data.